ASSEMBLY LINE
Fresh drops at Suyen Corporation’s first venture into an international multi brand concept.
Suyen Corporation chairman Ben Chan is the very definition of an industry tastemaker, his influence beefed up by the power to make things happen. We’re used to Suyen doing things big, from flying in international superstars to our archipelago, Bench hitting #NYFWM and opening up branches around the world, to bringing in top retail and dining concepts across the board nationwide. So at Suyen’s first venture into an international multi-brand lifestyle store, the exclusivity of the brands, the limited number of stocks — four at maximum — and the intimacy of the spaces at SM Aura and S Maison, it stands out that Assembly is not only a store but more of an editor to a life of detail. It is curated by Chan himself.
“The good thing about Assembly is that I get to work around my instinct in choosing which brands I feel have great potential for the discerning people who understand fashion and are not afraid to try something new,” he says to YStyle, letting us in on his editing process.
He finds a lot of these brands through his inspired travels, whether for work or play, going for the road less traveled. In his journey, he finds artisans and independent labels whose work is fueled by a vision and labored with passion, anything but sheer greed.
Among all Suyen concepts, we ask, is Assembly a more accurate representation of his personal style and taste? “Yes and no. Selecting merchandise is always a combination of your personal taste and what you know would be embraced by your market,” he says, then compares the two. “With Bench, we always try to incorporate personal ideas and preferences with some market research in order to produce merchandise that will cater to the needs and wants of consumers. We are, after all, a lifestyle brand, so the intention has always been to develop and maintain a lifestyle that we believe our market deserves. The demographic of Assembly may be different from that of Bench, but it follows the same principle of understanding your market.”
The result is a tightly edited mix, both mainstream and niche, all with a narrative of craftsmanship in common. Assembly recently launched new brand collections by directional designer labels Mihara Yasuhiro, Ethosens, Factotum and Maiden Noir, streetwear label Standard Issue, mint designs, and Wood Wood. To complement this lifestyle, Assembly paired up with Globe Platinum to raffle off a subscription and a Huawei phone to a lucky guest (it was not me).
Assembly carries accessories brand Cote&Ciel and ultrafeminine labels such as Alberta Ferretti, Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini and Karen Millen; women’s accessories like CJW Christina J Wang scarves and Jennifer Behr hair accessories (of Blair Waldorf fame); heritage brands like Paul Smith, Fratelli Rossetti and Kent & Curwen; streetwear labels such as Mostly Heard Rarely Seen, WeSC, Southern Field Industries and Opening Ceremony; niche cosmetic brands such as Loboratorio Olfattivo, Capsule and Men’s Society; high-end footwear brands like Fratelli Rossetti, Repetto, Casadei and Rupert Sanderson; as well as eyewear brands like Kaibosh, Han Kjobenhavn and Le Specs, home furnishings and accessories like Jonathan Adler, Voluspa and Gilles Dewarvin scented candles, Palomino pens, and even coffee table books from Phaidon and London luxury publishing house Maison Assouline, where Chan recently visited to stock up on his favorite hard-to-find titles. From when it first opened in October 2016 in City of Dreams (now closed), there’s a cohesion to the mix of brands.
Suyen’s merchandise manager for European brands Patrick Ty adds, “There’s a sense of exclusivity as these are brands you can’t readily buy from the airport duty free or a mall.”
When asked for the profile of the typical Assembly customer, Ty describes: “He or she is selective, an achiever who is aware of fashion and lives this lifestyle.” The launch reflected this. When asked to point out its epitome, Ty does not hesitate in nominating photographer, model and perennial fashion muse Joan Bitagcol who was perusing the men’s streetwear brands.
Chan reiterates: “These are not high-end brands, rather they are fashionable street brands appreciated by people in the creative industry who are up and against the branded fashion.” Filling the gap in the lifestyle market — post-fast fashion, after luxury has become (wrongly) synonymous to bling instead of heritage, narrative and quality — where price is not so much an issue as an affirmation of one’s individuality with every piece of clothing to every objet, Assembly is a lot closer to home for Chan. It reflects the way he and his friends live.
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Assembly has branches at SM Aura Premier, McKinley Parkway, Taguig and S Maison at the Conrad Hotel, Pasay City. Two more stores are slated to open soon.